This post wont be read by anyone because its score is too low.

To reduce bitcoin to its transactional features is short-sighted. This is being done as a marketing spin.

Bitcoin is many things, firstly, bitcoins are "precious bits". You can "own" certain amounts of bitcoins merely by being the only one to know the private key to a bitcoin address that had some coins transferred to it.

These precious bits are being used as money (and therefore are money), for direct payment of goods and services, without exchange to any of the established fiat currencies. I've done it many times. I've been payed to write code in BTC and I did not exchange them for anything, neither immediately nor later, I still hold on to these coins (store of wealth) and will someday buy something with it (maybe pizza, but I hope it'l be more than that). Additionally bitcoins are easily divisible and recognizable and therefore bitcoin is a money.

Is it a commodity money? That depends on wether these "precious bits" (which don't actually exist), are a commodity. I'd say no, but in the end: who cares?

Bitcoin is obviously money.

Bitcoin competes against VISA/PayPal/Google/Apple, true, but it also competes against USD/EUR/SDR/Gold/Silver/ChickenFeet/Salt/Sheep.

I say let there be competition! Currency competition will probably become a necessity after of our paper money has collapsed (don't think it'll collapse? read here: http://papermoneycollapse.com/ [papermoneycollapse.com]). We will need some sound money at some point, otherwise we're back to barter, which is highly inefficient. I'm not saying bitcoin is our saviour, but it should be allowed to compete. (It will compete without permission, regardless, but that may make it a little harder)

Just because its value has been bootstrapped (and is still being bootstrapped) by way of exchange to/from FIAT, doesn't mean bitcoin is merely a payment processing mechanism.

Whoever says bitcoins have no value by themselves, should try the following for educational purposes:

        * actually acquire BTC 10 somehow.
        * visit silkroadvb5piz3r.onion and buy some gardening supplies
        * hold on to 1 bitcoin for 1 year (this is called "saving" and makes sense only when using sound money (as opposed to FIAT money which is constantly being inflated))

Oh, by the way: still mad about not having been an early adopter in the Summer '11 bubble? Well, here's you second chance.

Merry crisis and happy new fear.

To reduce bitcoin to its transactional features is short-sighted. This is being done as a marketing spin.

Bitcoin is many things, firstly, bitcoins are "precious bits". You can "own" certain amounts of bitcoins merely by being the only one to know the private key to a bitcoin address that had some coins transferred to it.

These precious bits are being used as money (and therefore are money), for direct payment of goods and services, without exchange to any of the established fiat currencies. I've done it many times. I've been payed to write code in BTC and I did not exchange them for anything, neither immediately nor later, I still hold on to these coins (store of wealth) and will someday buy something with it (maybe pizza, but I hope it'l be more than that). Additionally bitcoins are easily divisible and recognizable and therefore bitcoin is a money.

Is it a commodity money? That depends on wether these "precious bits" (which don't actually exist), are a commodity. I'd say no, but in the end: who cares?

Bitcoin is obviously money.

Bitcoin competes against VISA/PayPal/Google/Apple, true, but it also competes against USD/EUR/SDR/Gold/Silver/ChickenFeet/Salt/Sheep.

I say let there be competition! Currency competition will probably become a necessity after of our paper money has collapsed (don't think it'll collapse? read here: http://papermoneycollapse.com/). We will need some sound money at some point, otherwise we're back to barter, which is highly inefficient. I'm not saying bitcoin is our saviour, but it should be allowed to compete. (It will compete without permission, regardless, but that may make it a little harder)

Just because its value has been bootstrapped (and is still being bootstrapped) by way of exchange to/from FIAT, doesn't mean bitcoin is merely a payment processing mechanism.

Whoever says bitcoins have no value by themselves, should try the following for educational purposes:

    * actually acquire BTC 10 somehow.
    * visit silkroadvb5piz3r.onion and buy some gardening supplies
    * hold on to 1 bitcoin for 1 year (this is called "saving" and makes sense only when using sound money (as opposed to FIAT money which is constantly being inflated))

Oh, by the way: still mad about not having been an early adopter in the Summer '11 bubble? Well, here's you second chance.

Merry crisis and happy new fear.

...and can't be produced out of thin air.

True. Someone tell the fed, quick!

Fee rules got changed: In the newest client (0.3.23), the default fee is reduced to 0.0005 BTC.

if you have bitcoins, just hold on for the ride

so help me out. what's a good solution to do video/voice/chat over xmpp that works across linux/mac/win ? (serious question)

give it some time

723 entries in my history in 30 seconds. ffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

well there we have an answer to a popular question

oh forgot to add: then all the whining will beginn and the US will plunge right into another useless war.

I saw this report about a japanese CEO that rides a bus to work, eats the same food as the other staff and even decided a paycut for himself.

This kind of legislation has to have some effect at some point. Bad exensive decisions will pay out in the long run... for the competition ;)

Wew, dude, I thought an API was a place to hide all the ugly code!